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Healthcare in United Trowo
Healthcare in United Trowo has developed to a very advanced stage, capable of prolonging life indefinitely while still maintaning quality of life. Once fatal injuries have become treatable (if cared for in time), and many diseases have become extinct thanks to vaccination and quarantine efforts. It is to be noted however, that people still die from disease and injury, albeit increasingly rarely as medical technology continues to advance. Healthcare is a primarily a government service on most worlds in United Trowo; private healthcare options are also prevalent, especially in larger and wealthier cities. Citizens are required by law to save 12% of their salary under the Personal Savings System (PSS), of which 5% goes to an account to be used for medical procedures. This account, known as HealthsFuture (Jowāy ''in Unitican), is then matched by the government dollar-for-dollar to a cap of C88 000. There also exists a state run insurance known as LifeFuture (''Lewāy in Unitican), an optional programme where citizens may use funds in their PSS to pay for. These programmes, combined with genetic editing, allowed United Trowo to spend less than 3% of its GDP on healthcare. Despite a population of 112 billion on Trowo, United Trowo only spends 104 trillion Standard Credits in 201, less than 1000 credits per person. The prices of essential medications sold by pharmeceutical companies are regulated by the government; private healthcare options can only charge so much higher than their public equivalent before going out of business. Today, healthcare in United Trowo is widely regarded as the best option for cash. The core systems and worlds have a great deal of healthcare-based tourism, even from the Alliance of Indepedent Systems and Simeno. Overview Healthcare in United Trowo is regulated by the Ministry of Health. The ministry oversees each city's health department, which in turn oversees its districts health departments. Technology Medical Technology in United Trowo is second-to-none in the Bubble, save specialized machines and procedures conducted in Simeno. Listed here are the machines, techniques and medications developed over the years that play a crucial role in healthcare. 'Equipment' Tissue Engineering Tissue engineering refers to artifical organ printing/creation and replacing damaged tissue. Artificial organs, whether constructed from biological tissue or non-organic materials, play an important role in healthcare. In combination with high-speed 3D printing technology, new organs may be created in 12 to 48 hours for simpler organs and 3-4 days for more complex organs. Stem cells taken from the umbilical cord at birth, known as mesenchymal and hematopoietic stem cells, are used to produce some organs that have zero likelyhood of being rejected by the recipient. However, not all organs may be produced from these stem cells. Induced stem cells are stem cells that have been created from adult cells. Although totipotency has still not been achieved, pluripotent and multipotent stems cells have been created that cover every single tissue type identified in the human body. However, this process is typically less efficient than harvesting stem cells from the umbilical cord (Wharton's Jelly and Cord Lining) and takes a far longer time to produce a large enough batch to differentiate into the organs needed. Adult (somatic) cells may also be harvested from urine, blood and skin fibroblast cells. In those cases, the epigenetic memory of the cell has to be removed, and genome checked for DNA damage to prevent tumor growth. These steps are highly time consuming and thus are not suitable for patients looking for organ replacement due to accidents. Some may choose to have organs in reserve, though storage is usually expensive. Robot Surgeons Robot surgeons controlled by AIs are commonplace in United Trowo for simple to moderately complex surgeries. In more complex surgeries, robot surgeons are frequently present to assist human surgeons carry out finer ex/incisions. Nanobots Ultra-sharp Operational Equipment Through the use of materials like obsidian and carbon nanotube reinforced steel, extremely sharp and smooth scapels and knives can be made. Incisions made by these equipments cause less inflammation and heal faster, leaving unnoticeable scars. However these knives are also more brittle, and are only handled by robotic surgeons due to the risk of breaking. 'Techniques' Gene Editing and Therapy Gene manipulation is the removal of malfunctioning/negative genes and/or the addition of beneficial genes. This is carried out through 2 main methods, viral therapy and CRISPR. CRISPR is only used when editing the genome of a few cells or a single cell, while viral therapy typically affects the entire body. CRISPR can be delieved to a developing embryo/baby while still in the mother's womb through the use of bacteria/virus, if genetic anomalies are detected during amniocentesis. The early the identification, the better the results of CRISPR. Usage of CRISPR in IVF is almost at given due to the low cost, and because it involves only the editing of the genome of 2 cells, the sperm and the egg, the technique is highly effective Gene therapy using modified viruses are highly effective treatments to treat genetic disorders. In certain cases, they may also be use to add beneficial gene sequences. Modified viruses altered to carry the desired genes are introduce to the patients body by injection, which then go on to infect the body There have been ethical concerns raised by scientists since the advent of gene editing over 400 years ago. However with the government fully subsidizing gene therapy for genetic disorders and the relatively cheap procedure for adding beneficial genes (less than C2 500 for most cases), most people are able to afford gene editing. There are people who refuse any kind of genetic editing (other than for treatment of genetic disorders), who are known as Purists. There are also debates on whether the parents are able to modify the child's gene without their "consent". As the technology developes however, it is possible the future for the child to reverse their genetic modifications. Popular beneficial (non disorder causing) genes edition include genes (adult only) for *High-altitude modification: increased blood volume and oxygen carrying capacity *Myostatin inhibition: increased muscle mass *Genetic resistance to the flu *Genes for protection against LDL cholestrol and atherosclerosis And for germline cell editions (zygote/spem/egg only) *Removal of genes expressing for wisdom teeth *Eye colour *Height *Genes related to intellegence (highly controversial and debatable, as a set of "intelligenece genes" has never been conclusively proven to be "found".) *Removal of hairs in certain areas AI Diagnosis Almost all diagnosis are done by Artificial Intelligence in United Trowo. They are more reliable and can forsee almost every possible medicinal interactions due to their large memory. AIs are usually housed in the city's supercomputing facility. It is to be noted that these AIs are not "conscious" or general AIs. On average, AIs make the correct diagnosis 99.9999% of the time, and the occassion where they have it wrong are attributed to cases of novel diseases. Cryopreservation Cryopreservation or cryostasisis the lowering of the body's metabolism to a rate which may be effectively zero, with the ability of restoring original function without any long term side effects. This is carried out by first inducing a coma in the patient. A special cyroprotection mixture is then injected (to prevent formation of large ice crystals in the cells), and the patient is then lowered into a liquid nitrogen dewer. He/she may then be thawed at the time when they had previously indicated. Cryopreservation is was used in the past to send settlers to other worlds before the advent of faster-than-light travel. It is now primarily used to preserve the patient's body after a serious injury to borrow time to create organs to replaced damaged ones. Specialized medical equipment Through the use of AI diagnosis, treatment and highly collimated accelerators, particle therapy can be used to irradiate tumors more accurately, causing fewer side effects and lesser usage of chemoprotective drugs. 'Medications and Supplements' Anti-aging supplements Anti-aging supplements are drugs taken to extend life and preserve quality of life. They are not a single drug but a cocktail of drugs including caloric-restriction mimetic drugs, geroprotectors, SASP inhibitors and senolytics. This, in combination with stem cell rejuvenation therapy, organ replacement and gene therapy, have allowed the well-off (those earning more than C120 000 per year) to effectively freeze their aging and revert it back to their fittest years. This is not without criticism, however, with many citing the exacerbation of the rich-poor divide, overpopulation and rampant plutocracy. Demonstrations calling for the banning of all life extension procedures have been made on numerous occasions. Category:United Trowo